Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1000. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the goods and services that accommodation providers are contractually obliged to provide to beneficiaries of temporary protection, in addition to accommodation and meals. [1821/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled to Ireland from the war in Ukraine. To date, more than 71,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 52,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State. Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, my Department has contracted in excess of 37,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 650 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other repurposed settings. The priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.

Clauses and terms of individual contracts may vary depending on the type of accommodation being provided. However, generally speaking, accommodation providers are contractually obliged to provide the following for BOTP residents:

- Rooms serviced weekly (including bed linen change) and fresh towels supplied daily/on request.

- The Accommodation Provider must put in place a laundry facility for residents.

- The Accommodation Provider must allow access by NGOs authorised by the Client to the property to enable same to deal with welfare matters of the residents if required.

- A suitable private area at the accommodation setting available for the use of my Department and our state service partners, including but not limited to HSE, Department of Social Protection and Tusla Education Support Services.

From 12 December 2022, in line with the Government decision of 28 October, a serviced accommodation contribution policy came into effect. The policy applies to certain serviced accommodation (for example hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and hostels) where self-catering options are not available. As contracts for full board come up for renewal, terms will be renegotiated and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) will be required to make a contribution towards the cost of their meals in order to avail of this State provided accommodation. The contribution will be €10 per adult and €5 per child per day. Following consultation with providers, the purchase of meals in serviced accommodation will be compulsory. BOTPs must pay this contribution directly to the accommodation providers, and they will be notified of the start date 2 weeks in advance.

As part of implementation of the Government Decision, personal laundry will no longer be included in accommodation contracts. Beneficiaries will need to pay the cost of personal laundry and any other additional services, including for example costs arising from accommodation of their pets, to service providers directly. Room cleaning and other standard ‘room only’ services will continue to be included in my Department's contracts with providers.

Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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1001. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department has worked to identify local accommodation solutions for those who are currently accommodated at an accommodation centre (details supplied) in County Louth; if he will provide an update on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1941/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy, the accommodation of international protection applicants (IPAs) is a demand-led process with applicants arriving in the country and seeking accommodation spontaneously. In 2022, over 15,000 IPAs arrived in Ireland, making it by far the highest yearly arrival figure to date. For context, the average arrival figure for IP applicants for the 3 year period from (2017 to 2019) was 3,500.

As of 9 January 2023, there are over 19,300 people accommodated in International Protection Application Services (IPAS) accommodation centres. This compares with 7,500 people accommodated at the same time last year.

At the same time, Ireland has responded to the largest displacement of people on the European continent since the Second World War. Since 24 February 2022, the Department has worked to accommodate an unprecedented volume of persons seeking refuge from the invasion of Ukraine, coming to almost 55,000 people.

The pressure to accommodate almost 75,000 people in such a short period of time has led to significant shortages, particularly for the international protection cohort. The Department has been forced to avail of all offers of accommodation made, including the use of office buildings, in order to address the accommodation shortfall. While the Department is aware that some types of accommodation such as office buildings and tented solutions are less than ideal it is working hard to find solutions, through the use facilities management companies in some cases, to offer emergency food, shelter and sanitation provision to both cohorts.

With regard to Carroll Village this property was recently successful in a 2022 tender competition titled ‘Bespoke Panel Agreement for the Provision of Accommodation Services and Related Services for Persons seeking International Protection’. The apartments in Carroll Village under contract with IPAS now require renovation in order to meet the terms of the tender contract.

The renovation works are planned to commence at the end of January and the residents will be required to vacate the accommodation to facilitate the works.

Furthermore, three families on site have been offered alternative accommodation and they will be transferring from Carroll Village to their new centres on Friday 3 February. IPAS is continuing to source alternative accommodation for the remaining families. It is anticipated that they will be transferred during the month of February. IPAS is in regular contact with the residents to appraise them of the situation.

Finally, it should also be noted that 18 of the 22 families currently residing in Carroll Village have been granted refugee status or permission to remain in the State. IPAS continues to provide assistance through case workers in NGOs such as DePaul and Peter McVerry Trust to support their transition out of accommodation designated for international protection applicants and into accommodation into the community.

I trust this information clarifies the matter.